Kehillah in Corinth I 1:22

22 Yehudim ask for otot (signs Ex 7:3) and Yevanim (Greeks) seek chochmah,

Kehillah in Corinth I 1:22 Meaning and Commentary

1 Corinthians 1:22

For the Jews require a sign
The Jews had always been used to miracles, in confirmation of the mission of the prophets sent unto them, and therefore insisted on a sign proving Jesus to be the true Messiah; except signs and wonders were wrought, they would not believe; and though miracles were wrought in great numbers, and such as never man did, they remained incredulous, and persisted in demanding a sign from heaven, and in their own way; and it was told them that no other sign should be given them, but that of the prophet Jonah, by which was signified the resurrection of Christ from the dead; this was given them, and yet they believed not, but went on to require a sign still; nothing but miracles would do with them, and they must be such as they themselves pleased: the Alexandrian copy, and some others, and the Vulgate Latin version, read "signs", in the plural number:

and the Greeks seek after wisdom;
the wisdom of the world, natural wisdom, philosophy, the reason of things, the flowers of rhetoric, the ornaments of speech, the beauties of oratory, the justness of style and diction; as for doctrines they regarded none, but such as they could comprehend with, and account for by their carnal reason, everything else they despised and exploded. Hence we often read F12 of (tynwwy tmkx) , "the Grecian wisdom", or wisdom of the Greeks; which, the Jews say F13, lay in metaphors and dark sayings, which were not understood but by them that were used to it; the study of it was forbidden by them, though some of their Rabbins were conversant with it F14.


FOOTNOTES:

F12 T. Bab Menachot, fol 99. 2. Bava Kama, fol. 82. 2.
F13 Maimon & Bartenora in Misn. Sota, c. 9. sect. 14.
F14 Shalshelet Hakabala, fol. 25. 1. Ganz. Tzemach David, par. 3. fol. 31. 2.

Kehillah in Corinth I 1:22 In-Context

20 Where is the chacham (wise man)? Where is the sofer (scribe) of the yeshiva, where is the talmid chacham? Where is the philosophical debater of the Olam Hazeh? Did not Hashem make the so-called chochmah (wisdom) of the Olam Hazeh to look like narrishkait? [Isa 19:11,12; Job 12:17; Isa 44:25; Jer 8:9]
21 For, als (since)—and this was by the chochmah of Hashem—the Olam Hazeh did not by its chochmah have da’as of Hashem, G-d was pleased through the "sichlut" (foolishness) of the Hachrazah (Proclamation, Kerygma, Preaching) of the Besuras HaGeulah to save the ma’aminim (believers).
22 Yehudim ask for otot (signs Ex 7:3) and Yevanim (Greeks) seek chochmah,
23 But, we proclaim Moshiach and nivlato al haEtz (“his body on the Tree,” DEVARIM 21:23): to Jews, a michshol (YESHAYAH 8:14); to Goyim, narrishkait (foolishness).
24 Yet, to those whom Hashem has given the kri’ah (1C 1:1-2) and summoned, to HaKeru’im (to the Called Ones), both to Yehudim and to Yevanim Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, the Gevurat Hashem and the Chochmat Hashem.
The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.